


Sweet Honey

by memefucker69



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Hybrids, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-04-29 12:29:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5127668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memefucker69/pseuds/memefucker69
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After transitioning to public school, Kim Jongin experiences his first crush that happens to be on the small pig hybrid, Kyungsoo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1/3

Jongin pouts as he holds his books to his chest, his caramel ears pressed against his head timidly as he walks home from school. As far as first days of school go, that was one of the worst. Being homeschooled from primary school to eleventh grade, he’s never experienced what it’s really like to attend public school, and it wasn’t as fun as it seemed on TV.

He’s his mama’s only cub, so she’s always been paranoid about letting Jongin out into the open and being independent. Being a bear hybrid, it’s in their blood to be close to their children and protect them always, so Jongin’s been sheltered for the majority of his life.

He doesn’t mind though. He loves his mama. They only have each other since Jongin’s papa left them when he was three.

But Jongin wants to make friends since being homeschooled has caused him to only have one friend—his neighbor, Taemin, a fox hybrid. Taemin moved away a few months ago, though, to attend university since he’s a year older than Jongin. Since Taemin went to public school, Jongin figured he would be fine.

However, he wasn’t. It was hard to adjust being around so many teenagers his age who talked about things Jongin didn’t really understand and spewed curse words every five seconds. If Jongin did that, his mama would pop him in the mouth. The only thing Jongin is interested in is reading. He’s quite the silent bookworm. He can be social if he wants, but it didn’t seem to be his strong suit today. Anytime he tried to make friends, all the other students in his classes stared at him like he was weird.

Some asked him questions like  _Do you smoke weed?_  or  _Are you a virgin?,_  and Jongin didn’t understand why they needed to know those things. Drugs are illegal and bad, so why would he? And he isn’t even old enough to have sex! He’s only seventeen!

All in all, he just wants to get home and have his mother make him feel better by making him his favorite fried chicken and honey for dinner. He wants to tell her that he can’t do it and just stay home, but he knows he can’t give up just yet. It’s only been one day.

Heaving out a sigh, Jongin walks over to the bus stop bench and plops down. He’s thankful no one else is there, since the street isn’t a busy one, so he can hug his knees to his chest and try not to cry. He hopes the bus comes soon; he just wants to go home.

He probably looks like an overgrown toddler with his legs pulled up to his chest. Being a bear hybrid, he’s pretty tall and built strongly. He towered over a lot of the other people in school, despite his timid personality. There were other bear hybrids in the hallways, but they were obviously jocks or popular, so Jongin avoided them, as much as he would’ve liked to have someone to talk to with something in common.

Everyone is just so different. It’s not fair.

A rolling sound from across the silent street catches his attention, and Jongin lifts his head from his knees to look. He blinks animatedly as he spots some boy rolling up and down the sidewalk on a skateboard, pale-skinned and wearing black basketball shorts and a tank of the same color. His hair is vibrant, fiery red with two pink ears peeking out. The boy looks so small and dainty, but his appearance says otherwise.

Jongin watches as he tries to do some sort of kick-flip trick, only to bail out at the last second and hop off of his board and pick it off of the ground. He turns his back to Jongin and the bear hybrid spots the little pink curly tail on his bum—a pig hybrid. The boy is also wearing a tattered baby blue book bag on his back, and Jongin wonders if they go to school together.

His mother told him that pig hybrids are bad though. They typically belong to lower class families and are dirty and mean. She painted such an ugly picture of them.

Yet, when this boy turns towards his direction, wiping sweat from his brow on such a hot day, Jongin can think of so many words to describe him and none of them are synonyms for ugly. The boy is pretty, cute even. He looks small and has wide eyes and full lips to compliment. Jongin could never imagine him sloshing around in mud or hanging around the problematic pig hybrids.

Jongin finds himself enraptured, and his eyes follow the other boy as he walks to the end of the street before dropping his skateboard back onto the ground and hops on, pushing to give himself some speed. The red-haired boy disappears around the corner of the block, Jongin craning his head to get one last look at him.

He lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

He’s still thinking of that boy with the red hair when he gets home and forgets to tell his mama that he wants to quit. She still makes him fried chicken with honey though and smothers him with kisses and hugs.

 

The next day is just like the day before. Jongin stays by himself in his classes, not that anyone approaches him. Most of these kids probably went to school together since primary school; he's just the new kid that doesn't belong there.

During lunch, the school lets them eat inside or outside, so Jongin makes himself at home in the courtyard at a lone bench in the far corner by a large tree, far from everyone else outside. Yesterday, he spent lunch talking to his new teachers and getting used to the school since he entered a few months into the new school year and wasn't in tune like all the other students were. It's lonely eating by himself, but it's peaceful and quiet too. He's able to eat the lunch his mama made special for him (she included a slice of homemade berry pie) and read his new book silently, enjoying the breeze ruffling his pink hair.

He has just managed to finish one chapter when a shadow falls over the cream-colored pages of his novel. Jongin furrows his brows and looks up to see what the interruption is.

To his surprise, it's another bear hybrid flanked by a female cow hybrid and lion hybrid. They don't look friendly either, glaring at Jongin, who's staring with wide eyes as he chews the last bite of his pie, crumbs sticking to the corners of his mouth.

"Yes?" he says hesitantly, blinking in confusion. They look angry at him, but Jongin can't recall doing anything or even ever seeing these three before.

"You're sitting at _our_  table,” the buff and deep-voiced bear hybrid grumbles, folding his toned arms over his chest. He must be a grizzly, judging by how much hair he has on his arms, though he’s clean-shaven. Jongin hardly has any hair on his chest except his happy trail. His mama always told him he was more like a teddy bear than anything else.

Craning his head around the three, he spots two other empty tables in the courtyard. “There are other tables, though,” Jongin furrows his brows, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. “Surely, you can sit over there?”

The taller boy snorts and rolls his eyes, and then a hand is shooting out to grab the front of Jongin’s striped shirt, heaving him up from his seat. Jongin’s eyes widen in fear as he realizes he’s about to get beaten up and threatened. He’s pulled close, and he puts his hands up in surrender. Glancing down, he takes note of the school’s emblem on the other boy’s jacket. He plays for the football team.

“It’s so funny, really? Are you even a bear hybrid? You’re such a baby!” the boy laughs, his friends bearing similar smirks. “I heard you still cling to your mama. How cute!”

Jongin blushes and tucks his chin with shame, averting his gaze. The entire courtyard is watching at this point, and he feels extremely embarrassed. He knows he should stand up for himself. What’s wrong with loving his mama? But instead, he stays quiet and his eyes prick with tears as his light brown ears fold against his hair.

“Now get the fuck out of our way, bitch,” he spits, and the pretty girl behind him with the gold septum piercing in her nose sweeps all of Jongin’s things off of the edge of the table, spilling the rest of his lunch and the contents of his book bag to the ground. Not too soon after, Jongin is released, only to be given a sudden push. He slides off the bench and harshly to the ground, unable to stop gravity from tugging him down.

The three offenders laugh at him, and Jongin sits up pitifully, grass and dirt dusting his clothes. His hands are shaking, and there are tears in his eyes. He doesn’t like how they’re pushing him around, but he doesn’t know what to do. They are right; he _is_  a baby.

“Leave him alone, Jongdeok,” a different voice speaks up, and they all turn to look at the new arrival.

Jongin looks up, and his eyes widen at the sight of the boy from yesterday—the one with the fiery red hair and skateboard. Jongin’s mind falters as he’s even prettier up close, small and soft-looking with his pale skin glowing in the sun. He’s got in skateboard in one hand and a black snapback on, crimson bangs peeking out and hiding his pig ears from view.

The bully of sorts, Jongdeok, growls as he turns to the pig hybrid. “ _Fuck off_ , Kyungsoo. What does this have to do with you?”

“Maybe I wanted to sit there,” Kyungsoo raises a brow. “Leave the poor kid alone.” He flashes a bright grin at that moment, eyes thinning as his lips form a heart. Jongin thinks it looks absolutely adorable, but no one else seems to agree as Jongdeok and his friends start to look nervous.

"I'm just teaching him that he shouldn't sit here!" Jongdeok defends himself as Kyungsoo's dark eyes trail to where Jongin sits on the ground, all of his things scattered around him. "He needs to learn at some--"

Kyungsoo stabs Jongdeok in the stomach with the end of his skateboard harshly, causing the taller male to hunch over and hold his torso with a wince. "You aren't even allowed sit out here. It's seniors only, so  _you_  fuck off."

It's with another growl and huge reluctance that Jongdeok and his buddies finally walk away as a confident Kyungsoo stands there in victory. Jongin looks up at him with sparkles in his watery eyes. He doesn't know what to say to his savior and instead wipes the unshed tears from his eyes and starts to pick up his things, frowning at the dirtied remains of his piece of pie.

He's in the middle of putting his books and notebooks back inside his bag when Kyungsoo sits down at the picnic table, only the tips of his black sneakers touching the ground. Jongin wonders how someone so small can scare off those three big students, but Kyungsoo did look pretty strong. His biceps are muscular now that Jongin looks at him closely.

He should probably thank him.

Awkwardly, Jongin clears his throat and seats himself across from Kyungsoo at the wooden table. One glance up and a blush spreads across his cheeks from looking into Kyungsoo's wide eyes. He has such doe-like eyes and long lashes that Jongin feels inferior for talking to such a pretty person.

"Th-Thank you for helping me," Jongin stutters shyly, looking at the table as he does so.

"Don't worry about it," Kyungsoo replies softly, a different tone from before. His voice is so quiet and honey-like that it causes Jongin to look up again.

Kyungsoo isn't smiling or looking at him at all, elbow sitting on the table with his chin resting in his palm as he looks off at the other students. Jongin remembers that Kyungsoo said he wanted to sit here, so it wasn't like he saved Jongin because he felt like it.

Feeling as though Kyungsoo doesn't want him here, Jongin stands up and grabs his bag, preparing to leave and sit in the bathroom until the end of lunch period. However, a hand from behind suddenly presses down on his shoulders and forces him back down on the bench. Jongin looks up to see five others join them. There’s an extremely tall  _bunny_  hybrid, white floppy ears sticking out of his blonde hair and looking out of place as he sits next to the small Kyungsoo. On Kyungsoo’s right is another tall hybrid that Jongin can’t figure out with his fluffy brown hair and small white ears, and then a smaller boy with a thin smile and tabby cat ears.

Someone plops down next to Jongin, and the bear hybrid turns to see a blond deer hybrid with only one velvet-covered antler, the other a single stub nestled in his hair. And the person behind him squeezes his shoulder, and Jongin peers back to look at a raccoon hybrid with his heavily lined eyes and bushy tail.

Jongin gulps and blinks, not knowing what to think.

The raccoon hybrid smiles and sits down, directing a frown at Kyungsoo. “You’ve already scared him off, Kyungsoo! He was going to leave!”

Jongin blushes as Kyungsoo looks at him, and he quickly tries to amend the situation, not wanting the other boy to feel bad. “No, I was j-just going to go sit somewhere else…”

“Ah, don’t worry about it; Kyungsoo is just socially awkward—ow!” he jolts suddenly and glares at Kyungsoo, who looks away. The gray-haired hybrid rubs at his sore foot before changing the subject. “Anyways, I’m Byun Baekhyun,” he grins, straightening his blue jean overalls, the hems of the shorts all ratty.

The rest of them introduce themselves: Luhan, the deer hybrid, Jongdae, the cat hybrid, Kris, the rabbit hybrid, and Chanyeol, the  _ferret_  hybrid. They all seem nice and eager to meet Jongin and be friends with him, except for Kyungsoo, who just stares off into space and stays quiet. They’re all seniors like Jongin, but Kyungsoo is a year older because he failed fourth grade.

“I’m sorry Jongdeok was such a dick to you,” Jongdae grumbles, folding his arms across his chest. “He’s Kyungsoo’s younger step-brother, and he always tries to mess with us because he’s bigger.”

“It’s fine,” Jongin murmurs, digging the soles of his sneakers into the dirt beneath the picnic table, “he didn’t really do much other than ruin my lunch and push me down.” His stomach growls and he holds his tummy sheepishly. He never got to eat any more than a bite of his pie.

“It’s still not nice,” Baekhyun frowns, crunching on an apple beside him.

There’s a rustling and unzipping of a bag, and Jongin looks over to see Kyungsoo digging into his book bag for something determinedly, thick brows furrowed and red hair restrained by a headband falling onto his forehead. Not a second later, he draws his hand back, gripping a bag of potato chips, the yellow bag crinkling. Jongin thinks he’s just starting to eat his own lunch, only to be shocked as Kyungsoo holds the bag out to him quietly, his owlish eyes staring right at the bear hybrid.

“You should eat,” he says as a simple explanation.

 _If someone offers you food, Jonginnie, it means they’re trying to win over your heart_ , Jongin hears his mama’s voice in his head,  _It’s how that bastard—I-I mean, your papa got me!_

A dark pink blush spreads wildly over his cheekbones, rivaling the color of Kyungsoo’s hair and reaching his ears. He knows there’s no way Kyungsoo is courting him when they’ve just met, but surely it means he must like Jongin at least a little bit? That has his heart pounding at a heightened pace, and Jongin takes the food from him with a shy smile and a murmur of thanks.

Kyungsoo says nothing else, but Jongin still feels warm inside from their little encounter.

 


	2. 2/3

As the month goes on, Jongin starts to hang around the other boys more often. They become great company, throwing jokes around and making him smile and laugh. Jongin starts to see school as an enjoyable place for him. His mama keeps asking if he wants to go back to being homeschooled, but Jongin never gives in.

Kyungsoo is still a wild card that Jongin rarely sees. He doesn’t show up at the courtyard during lunch frequently, but Jongin is clueless as to where he goes. He asks Baekhyun, but the other boy just shrugs and says he doesn’t know either. Kyungsoo’s been quiet since Baekhyun met him two years ago and has never been very open about some things.

So it’s of pure coincidence that Jongin finds out where Kyungsoo spends his lunch period.

Jongin is unprepared when the bell suddenly rings, signaling the end of his AP Literature class for the day. He ends up being the last one out of the classroom, having to pack all of his things back into his bag, and he’s about to walk out before Mrs. Park stops him.

“Jongin, dear, do you mind taking this set of novels to the library for me? It shouldn’t take too long,” she says kindly, wheeling a small cart stacked high with paperback novels.

“Oh, sure,” Jongin smiles brightly at her, “I’ll take them.” He really likes Mrs. Park as a teacher, so it doesn’t bother him to take some time out of his hour.

“Thank you so much!” Mrs. Park beams. “Just tell Mr. Lim that they’re from me, okay?”

Jongin nods and adjusts his backpack on his shoulders before pushing the cart out of the classroom and into the halls. It takes him a moment or two to remember the way to the library, but he’s visited it a handful of times to check out their selection, so it doesn’t take too much time to remember the way.

Not many people stare at him anymore as he walks down the halls. Jongin figures he’s been here long enough that everyone’s grown bored at the prospect of figuring out the new kid. Jongdeok hasn’t shown his face since Kyungsoo kicked him out of the courtyard, and Jongin is thankful. No one else has picked on him after he started hanging around the pig hybrid.

Entering the library, Mr. Lim spots him from behind the desk and accepts the cart from him. Jongin bows and watches as the elderly man pushes the cart of novels into the back office where the class sets of books are kept. Pursing his lips, the bear hybrid toys with the thought of staying in the library and reading for lunch period. Mr. Lim is lenient with letting trustworthy students eat their lunch here.

Jongin decides it would be an excellent opportunity to catch up on his reading and heads towards the back of the media center where the tables are. Rounding the corner, he stops in place at the sight of a familiar head of crimson hair and two pink ears. Jongin hides behind one of the nonfiction bookshelves and peeks out to watch Kyungsoo.

To his surprise, sprawled out on the circular table is an English textbook and notebook, and Kyungsoo his hunched over, hands gripping his vibrant hair as he reads the book with intensity. He looks stressed, and Jongin frowns. Is this what he’s been doing this whole time? Studying his lunch away? Does he struggle with his grades?

Shifting his weight from foot to foot anxiously, Jongin is unsure if he should approach him. What if Kyungsoo gets angry? Not that he’s ever been mean to Jongin, but it’s not as if Jongin knows him well enough to judge so. Then again, if Kyungsoo truly is struggling with his grades, Jongin shouldn’t interrupt him. He’s still worried nonetheless.

A lightbulb suddenly goes off in his brain as he recalls their first interaction, and the bear hybrid bends down quietly and digs in his bag for his lunch. Retrieving a bright red apple his mama had packed for him, Jongin zips his bag back up, still unnoticed by Kyungsoo. He takes a deep breath before striding towards Kyungsoo’s table.

The pig hybrid lifts his head when Jongin quietly places the apple on the table. Just like before, Jongin blushes the instance their eyes meet, and he averts his eyes as he murmurs, “You should eat, hyung.”

Kyungsoo blinks and his gaze lands on the apple before landing back on the obviously nervous Jongin. He’s silent for a second before picking up the fruit and holding it between his hands gently like a treasure.

“I’ve already eaten,” he says, and Jongin’s heart falls to the bottom of his stomach.

He’s made an embarrassment of himself. He knew he shouldn’t have bothered Kyungsoo. He probably thinks Jongin is an annoyance—

“But thank you, I’ll still eat it. I have a bottomless stomach anyways,” Kyungsoo deadpans seriously, bringing the apple to his lips and taking a bite. He didn’t mean it as a joke and is surprised when Jongin starts to laugh, a dorky sort of sound. It takes Kyungsoo a puzzled moment to realize it was a bit funny, considering he’s a  _pig_  and all.

Kyungsoo smiles at that, and Jongin falls silent as he catches that rare grin on the older boy’s lips. As his lips form a heart, his entire expression softens. He looks cute, adorable and nothing like the scary, mean hybrid others obviously see him as—or like the cold person Jongin expected him to be.

His heart beats loudly in his chest, and Jongin bashfully squishes his own burning cheeks. He wants to scream  _cute!!!_ but doubts Kyungsoo likes to be seen that way, given how he dresses. Instead, he sits down in the chair across from the older boy and composes himself enough to ask what he’s been wondering.

“Kyungsoo, are you studying?” Jongin asks as Kyungsoo takes a bite of his apple.

Chewing and swallowing, Kyungsoo sighs, eyes falling back to the open textbook in front of him. “English—I’m not good at it. Well, I’m not good with school period. I have to study really hard to just get a decent grade. Learning doesn’t just click with me like it does with most people.”

Being a straight A student his entire life, Jongin can’t relate. He doesn’t know how it feels to have to study over and over again or not understand the content. He’s not someone who had to try and give extra effort to make it into advanced classes or take them at home.

“Oh,” Jongin says, frowning and unsure of what to say. “Um, can I help you then, hyung? I really like English class anyways.”

Kyungsoo brightens up and his eyes go wide. “Oh, no, it’s fine. I can handle it by myself,” he reassures.

Jongin doesn’t want to push his help onto Kyungsoo, so he nods in understanding. “Do you mind if I sit here and read too, then?” he asks, not wanting to intrude on the older boy’s study time.

Kyungsoo nods quietly before going back to working on what he was reading. The bear hybrid smiles happily, overjoyed that Kyungsoo actually seems to like him. He gets the vibe that the pig hybrid really isn’t mean; he’s just soft-spoken and a little awkward, and Jongin can certainly relate to those qualities.

The younger boy pulls out his latest novel, opening to a dog-eared page and reading—or at least attempting to read. He gets distracted every time he hears the distinct sound of Kyungsoo taking a bite of the apple, and he ends up glancing up to watch the other boy chew while he reads. And when he looks up and sees the pig hybrid staring back at him, Jongin blushes bright crimson and quickly looks back down.

“How was it?” Kyungsoo suddenly asks.

“Huh?” Jongin looks up in surprise, nearly jumping.

“Being homeschooled, I mean,” Kyungsoo clarifies, covering his mouth as he speaks with his mouth slightly full, “how was it? Was it easier than school here?”

He’s astonished that Kyungsoo sounds like he wants to get to know him and looks down at his lap shyly when answering. “Um, it’s not that the curriculum is harder, but it’s just hard in the way that everything is different. I don’t really relate to a lot of people here. My mama doesn’t let me have social media, and I’ve never had friends, so I guess there are a lot of ‘teenager’ things I don’t know.”

“Oh, so your mom is one of  _those_ moms,” Kyungsoo nods thoughtfully. “My mom and dad split, and I live with my dad, so I rarely see my mom. She got remarried though, so that’s why Jongdeok is technically my brother,” he takes one last bite from his apple, only a skinny little core left. “My dad is really strict about school though, so I can’t slack off just because it’s only me and him.”

“What does your dad do?” Jongin asks, figuring that his dad must be a doctor or something if he’s strict about Kyungsoo’s studies.

“He’s a tattoo artist,” Kyungsoo answers honestly, causing Jongin’s jaw drop in surprise. Well, it’d make sense if his father is a pig hybrid, but it’s just surprising to hear that his  _father_  has an occupation like that. "Where do your parents work?"

"It's just my mama, and she owns a bakery. It's called  _Honeybear_ ," Jongin replies after composing himself.

Kyungsoo grins. "I love that place! Baekhyun, Kris, and I go there on the weekends sometimes. Your mom makes the best cupcakes. How come I've never seen you there?"

Jongin blushes down to his toes. He doesn't want to tell Kyungsoo that he's the one who usually exclusively makes the cupcakes usually, since it's such a girly and dainty thing to do, but it pleases him to no end that Kyungsoo likes them. "I stay in the back and help sometimes. I'm not really social, so I avoid managing the register and stuff."

"You should hang out with us this weekend," Kyungsoo suddenly suggests like a lightbulb went off in his brain, but then he furrows his brows, second guessing himself. “Well, I don’t know, it might just be you and me, if that’s okay. I know I’m not that interesting—“

“That’s fine!” Jongin says quickly, way too eagerly. No offense to Baekhyun and the others, but he’d rather be alone with Kyungsoo. “A-And you’re really interesting, hyung,” he adds bashfully, holding his hands in his lap and tucking his chin down shyly.

“I think you’re interesting too, Jongin,” Kyungsoo smiles endearingly at him when he looks up, and Jongin thinks he might die from the way his heart backflips in his chest.

Later on in the week, when school lets out and Jongin is walking out of the entrance, he spots a familiar redhead in the crowd of students, same ragged backpack with his skateboard strapped to it. With a grin on his face, the bear hybrid maneuvers around the people in front of him, a little hard with his large stature, and manages to catch up with Kyungsoo at the gate.

“Hyung!”

Kyungsoo jolts and looks up from where he’s got his bag on the ground, hunched over and unclipping his skateboard from it. His wide eyes soon fill with recognition and he smiles sweetly at the younger boy. “Hey, Jongin, how did your day go?”

“It was good. Are you heading home, Kyungsoo-hyung?” Jongin watches as Kyungsoo drops his skateboard on the ground. From the looks of it, the thing has seen better days. The bottom is all scratched up and part of the rough top is peeled off.

The pig hybrid shakes his head, some of his red hair that was gelled back was now falling into his eyes. “I’m going to go meet up with Luhan and Baekhyun at the skate park. You wanna come?”

Jongin opens his mouth to instantly say  _yes_ , but then he falters as he thinks about his mama. She’ll get worried if he doesn’t come home right away. Biting his lip, he feels conflicted. It sounds fun, and he doesn’t want to seem like a weenie for not going just because his mama will get all paranoid about it.

_“It’s so funny, really? Are you even a bear hybrid? You’re such a baby! I heard you still cling to your mama. How cute!”_

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo speaks up, worried, and snaps the younger out of his apprehensions.

“S-Sorry! I’ll go,” Jongin grins nervously. He pushes all those worries to the back of his mind. They probably won’t be there all afternoon, and he can just lie to his mama and tell her he went to the library after school. He doesn’t like lying to her, but he wants to go so badly.

The redhead throws him a thumbs-up before slipping his book bag back on and hopping on his skateboard. Kicking off, he rolls leisurely down the sidewalk so Jongin doesn’t have to walk fast to keep up with him. The skate park is only two blocks away, so they’re there in no time. It’s a small place, connected to a children’s playground and a basketball court, with only a large circular dip filled with rails and ramps of all kind. A few teens are there already, skating intently.

Jongin spots Luhan right away watches curiously as the deer hybrid goes up and down the same ramp, trying to perform some cool flip trick with his board. Baekhyun is beside him, cheering animatedly with a large grin.

The bear hybrid spots a bench near the edge of the crater and points to it. “Hyung, do you mind if I just sit there and watch?” He definitely doesn’t have the coordination to hop on a skateboard and do cool tricks like the others. He doubts he’ll even be able to stay on the board if he tries.

“Yeah, sure, can you take my stuff over there too?” Kyungsoo moves to take off his backpack.

Jongin nods and strolls over to the bench, placing their bags beside him as he sits and watches. Kyungsoo takes a moment to adjust the beanie hanging loosely from his head before rolling over the edge and down the slope to where Baekhyun and Luhan are. Jongin waves at them with a smile.

He observes them with excitement for the longest time—well, mostly Kyungsoo. The afternoon sun gleams off of his pale skin and brightens the red undertones of his hair, and Jongin is enraptured. Half of the time he’s not even watching Kyungsoo for the sake of seeing what he can do on a skateboard, but just to watch him in general. And Jongin ends up spacing out until he hears Kyungsoo calling his name.

“Huh?” he calls back.

Kyungsoo skates up the slope of the dip and stops right in front of the bear hybrid. “Come play with us. I’ll teach you how to skate,” he grins wickedly, like he’s excited at the prospect of seeing Jongin make a fool of himself.

“I-I don’t know, hyung…” Jongin winces at the thought.

"Come on! It'll be fun," Kyungsoo awes him by eagerly grabbing Jongin's hand and heaving him up from the bench. “I won’t let you fall, okay? So don’t be scared,” he smiles that heart-shaped smile that has Jongin feeling all warm and tingly inside. “I’ll protect you, Jongin.”

“O-Okay…”

The rest of the afternoon was filled with Jongin learning to balance on the skateboard on his own, Kyungsoo’s hand supporting his back. Eventually, he went down one of the small ramps successfully and only fell down once or twice. It was worth it though because Jongin made an amazing discovery.

Kyungsoo _snorts_  when he laughs. He oinks like a little piglet in the middle of laughing after Jongin falls off of the skateboard and onto his bum. Jongin thinks it’s incredibly adorable, but Kyungsoo becomes quickly embarrassed. He covers his mouth, ashamed and cheeks pink.

“I-I’m sorry you had to hear that…” Kyungsoo groans, thanking the lords that Baekhyun and Luhan are out of hearing range. “It happens when I get really excited and laugh a lot.”

“It’s okay, hyung!” Jongin stands up, dusting off anything clinging to his pants. “I think…I think it’s cute,” he hesitantly says.

Kyungsoo’s reaction is immediate, his eyes bugging out in surprise and his face growing maroon. “D-Don’t say stuff like that!” he whines, ignoring how his curly tail wiggles on instinct.

Jongin’s face falls, thinking Kyungsoo is angry at him. “I’m sorry, hyung.”

“N-No, it’s fine, it’s just,” Kyungsoo clears his throat and scrubs at his cheeks to force his blush away. “It’s getting late, you wanna head home? You probably have homework and stuff to get to."

Jongin turns to look at the sky and realizes the setting sun, reds and pinks dyeing the lasting sunshine. He gasps. He hadn't meant to stay this long!

He's honestly scared of what his mama is gonna say.

"U-Uh, yeah, let's go," he agrees, nodding his head and following Kyungsoo up the steps and to the bench where their bags are sitting. All the worries from before cloud his mind. He hoped his mama didn't do anything extreme out of worry.

"Are you okay, Jongin?" Kyungsoo looks at him in concern as they walk down the sidewalk. The bear hybrid has been rather quiet since they left the skate park.

Jongin shakes his head. "It's nothing, hyung. I'm just thinking," he smiles brightly.

The pig hybrid stares at him for a bit more before letting the subject go reluctantly. Luckily, for Jongin,  _Honeybear_  isn’t too far from the skate park, and they’re standing outside of the entrance in no time. He ignores the feeling of nearing his impending doom and instead turns to face Kyungsoo with a smile.

“I-I had a lot of fun, hyung. Thanks for inviting me,” Jongin scratches at the back of his head sheepishly.

“It was fun. I’ll see you at school tomorrow, okay?” Kyungsoo flashes a grin before placing his skateboard back on the sidewalk. “Bye, Jongin,” he gives one wave, and then pushes off with his foot, rolling down the opposite direction.

The bear hybrid pauses and blinks. Kyungsoo lives on the other side of town? That means—

_Kyungsoo walked Jongin home voluntarily._

His cheeks grow red, and he holds them in bliss, unable to stop the lovable smile that causes his lips to curve up. Kyungsoo is so sweet, kind, caring, cute, adorable, and attractive. Jongin can’t contain the way his heat thumps loudly and his ears ring with the sound of his inner squeals.

The chime of the bell on the door behind him has Jongin jumping back in surprise, looking to see his mama standing there, flour-dusted apron wrapped around her large frame as she stares at Jongin with what is obvious disapproval. Her nametag reading  _Gukjoo_  is skewed, and Jongin suspects she must have been busy without Jongin there to help.

“Baby, do you have any idea what time it is? Where have you been?!” she nearly shouts. It makes Jongin cringe and frown. His head lowers, ears fold against his head, and his shoulders hunch in a way to make him look smaller in shame.

“I’m sorry, Mama. I was at the library,” he lies, not wanting to have to tell her about Kyungsoo. He doubts she’d be happy to hear about him hanging out a place like the skate park with a pig hybrid.

The worry in her expression falls just a little bit, and she instantly tugs Jongin through the doorway and envelops her son in a tight hug. “I was so worried! My poor baby, all alone and lost!” she smooches his cheek, leaving a dark red print of lipstick, before pulling away with a stern look. “Don’t scare me like that again! You had me seconds away from calling the police!”

“I know, Mama. I’m sorry,” Jongin nods his head. “I just didn’t want to walk all the way here and back.”

"Okay," she sighs, finally relenting. "Just be sure to tell me the next time. Now come on," she pats him on the shoulder, "I got tons of cupcakes that need frosting!"

Jongin sighs in relief as he follows his mama to the back of the bakery. He's glad he managed to dodge that bullet. He then smiles a little dopily as he fastens his apron, thinking of the fun he had with Kyungsoo and how cute the older boy was when he snorted and oinked.

He really likes Kyungsoo.


	3. 3/3

A few weekends later, Jongin agrees to go to the arcade with Kyungsoo.  _Just the two of us this time,_  Kyungsoo promises. He still hasn't told his mama about Kyungsoo, so he lies again and says he's going to the library to read for the afternoon.

Jongin retrieves his wallet with money he's saved up over the years, hoping it's enough to pay for him and Kyungsoo to play many games at the arcade. He picks out some of his best clothes, jeans and a soft pastel pink sweater to accompany his hair of a darker shade. The weather is cooling down as autumn comes to an end and opens to winter.

His mama raises a brow at his apparent excitement, but she kisses him on the cheek with a smear of red lipstick as usual and tells him to be back to help at the bakery soon. Jongin nods and hurries out the door, not wanting to be late.

Kyungsoo is waiting for him at the bus stop, as promised, his skateboard nowhere to be found. He doesn't like riding it when it's cold. He's bundled in a black parka, his usual color palette, shivering in the icy breeze.

"Hyung!" Jongin cheerily greets, running up to him.

"Hey, Jongin," Kyungsoo smiles at him, his nose and cheeks reddened. He shudders momentarily as the wind picks up, reaching up and cupping his hands over his pink ears. "Ugh, it's so cold. How are you only wearing that?” he squints his eyes at the bear hybrid’s appearance.

Jongin shrugs. “Mama always says I’m like a space heater. Forever warm!” he chirped happily with a grin.

The pig hybrid purses his lips, contemplating. And before Jongin knows it, he watches Kyungsoo shuffle closer and hug his arm, sighing at the warmth his friend’s side offers. Jongin really is like a space heater, radiating warmth and making the older boy instantly comfortable. Meanwhile, Jongin’s heart palpitates in his chest at the feeling of Kyungsoo so close and leaning against him, cheek resting against the slope of his shoulder. If he focuses, he can smell the scent of Kyungsoo’s shampoo or body wash, smelling of sweet, sweet honey, and Jongin resists the urge to bury his nose in his crush’s vibrant hair.

All too soon, Kyungsoo pulls away with a smile, pleasantly warm. “Well, are you ready to head to the arcade?”

“Yeah! I’ve never been to one before; I’m excited,” Jongin gushes, fists squeezing at his sides in glee. His mama never let him go alone or with his friends, stating that a stranger would snatch him up when he wasn’t looking—therefore terrifying him to death. He knows he’ll be safe with Kyungsoo, though.

“It’s fun. You’ll like it,” Kyungsoo nods, absentmindedly grasping Jongin’s hand in his before beginning to walk. They didn’t need to take the bus as the arcade was only a block or two away.

The bear hybrid relishes inwardly at the feeling of Kyungsoo’s small fingers wrapped around the width of his larger hand. He discreetly changes their positioning to hold Kyungsoo’s fingertips, warming the reddened icy digits. Jongin notices the smile that twitches onto the pig hybrid’s lips, and his heart bursts in delight.

He expects the arcade to be some high-end and cool place, but to Jongin’s surprise, it’s not. It’s old with wear and tear, the red paint on the outside of the building a faded red and the sign reading plainly  _Arcade_ faded with age. But that doesn’t ruin the experience for him. Kyungsoo obviously wouldn’t take him here if it wasn’t a good place.

“I know it looks a little worn down, but Minseok’s dad doesn’t want him remodeling the place to keep the originality,” Kyungsoo explains as he pushes open the glass door, a bell ringing as they step inside.

The inside is just as worn as the outside. The carpet is old and covered in a print of aliens, stars, and spaceships that glow faintly in the dark lighting, and the walls are a bland white, covered in all kinds of old and new posters, advertising what-not. But the space is filled with new and old arcade consoles and all sorts of different games. There aren’t too many other kids and teens there, but enough to make the place seem lively. It’s charming, in Jongin’s opinion.

Kyungsoo stops at a counter just by the entrance where a wolf hybrid of Kyungsoo’s stature stands, headphones in his human ears and bobbing his head to the music as he hums. His raven fluffy ears blend in with his wavy hair of the same shade, and a name tag on his hoodie reads  _Minseok_. He doesn’t even notice Jongin and Kyungsoo are standing there until Kyungsoo slams his fist on the counter, startling both the wolf and bear.

The male behind the desk smiles at the sight of Kyungsoo and slides off his headphones, letting them hang around his neck. "I was wondering when you'd come back, Kyungsoo. You haven't been here in a while," his voice is softer than expected.

"School and dad," the pig hybrid states simply with a shrug. "Anyways, I need some coins."

The wolf hybrid nods and bends down, picking up a small bucket full of fake gold coins and placing it on the counter. "Twenty bucks for 200 tokens," he states.

"I-I'll pay, hyung," Jongin speaks up as Kyungsoo searches for his own wallet. The pig hybrid opens his mouth to disagree, but Jongin quickly hands over a twenty before he can intercept.

Minseok whistles with a grin as he puts the money in the register. "You got yourself a date, Kyungsoo?"

The both of them blush red, and the smaller boy snatches the bucket off of the counter and leads Jongin away. The latter is in a tiny fit of bliss at the idea of them on a  _date_ , but he knows Kyungsoo is embarrassed. He doubts he'd ever want to date someone lame like Jongin. That’s okay. He can pretend instead.

"So, uh," Kyungsoo clears the awkward air as they wander through the rows of different games, "what do you wanna play first?"

"Whatever you want to play, hyung," Jongin smiles brightly, trying to help Kyungsoo see that Minseok’s joke was okay. Kyungsoo looks satisfied with that answer, and the next hour is filled with playing some of Kyungsoo's favorites. Some games involve just Jongin watching and laughing when Kyungsoo gets irritated when he loses. They then switch to playing two-player games, and Kyungsoo helps Jongin. Unsurprisingly, he sucks at video games, and Kyungsoo manages to beat him every time.

Until they play Dance Dance Revolution.

"I-I don't know, hyung," Jongin says shyly as they step up to the larger machine, the platforms' arrows flashing in invitation. "There are other people here..."

Kyungsoo scoffs, already inserting the tokens. "Don't worry about it. If they say anything, I'll shut 'em up."

He laughs a bit before stepping up onto the platform, placing his feet on the left and right arrows and dragging Jongin up to do the same beside him. The pink-haired boy blushes but doesn't have the heart to say anything in disagreement.

Kyungsoo picks the song and an electronic beat immediately starts up. He's pretty good at this game, quick on his feet, and focuses on matching the rhythm. Kyungsoo doesn't even fret with his competitive nature since Jongin was terrible at all of the other games. When the song is over, he knows he’s won as the game totals up the score.

Player 1: 1165 pts

Player 2: 2004 pts

“What?” Kyungsoo looks at Jongin with wide eyes. “H-How are you so good?”

Jongin blinks innocently and shrugs. “I took dancing classes as a kid…? It was a while ago though,” he frowns. “I’m sorry, hyung.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Jongin,” Kyungsoo smiles brightly at him, eyes thinning adorably.

He honestly doesn't know why he's so smiley and dopey around Jongin. Anyone else and Kyungsoo would have chewed them out for winning. And, even in general, Kyungsoo rarely grins at all. It's very minimal, even around Baekhyun and the others. Jongin’s just so soft that Kyungsoo becomes soft around him.

“Oh, okay,” Jongin returns his smile sheepishly, “then, um, c-can we play again? I like this one.”

“Of course! I told you it would be fun,” Kyungsoo replies happily as he moves to insert four more tokens into the machine.

 

They continued playing some more games (nearly all in the arcade) until all of their tokens were drained. Jongin was a bit saddened to leave, but Kyungsoo then dragged him to a nearby fast food place where he paid this time. They sat there for a while, chatting and having fun trying to catch french fries in their mouth. Kyungsoo did that adorable snorting, oinking thing again when Jongin missed for the umpteenth time, blushing all the same.

And then it’s time to go home. Jongin has an AP Literature paper to write, as regrettable as it is.

Kyungsoo walks Jongin to the bakery again, just like before, huddled in his thick parka against the cold wind. Sometime along the way, the bear hybrid feels icy fingers sneakily entangle with his own. His heart jumps, and Jongin quietly glances over as Kyungsoo continues talking about his dad’s job—as if he hadn’t just initiated hand-holding. Tucking his chin and biting his lip as they walk down the sidewalk, Jongin hides a smile, and he doesn’t notice how Kyungsoo does the same, tightening his hold on the younger’s warm hand.

Jongin wishes he lived farther away as they stop outside of the bakery much too soon for his liking, away from the windows.

It’s obvious that neither of them want to let go, hands still intertwined between the two.

“I-I had fun, Kyungsoo-hyung,” Jongin admits, color appearing on his cheeks that isn’t from the nip of the frosty wind. “Let’s do it again.”

“Definitely,” the pig hybrid nods, “and you have to let me come inside the bakery and steal a few cupcakes.” Kyungsoo laughed, squeezing Jongin’s hand in his happiness.

“S-Sure,” Jongin smiles a bit crookedly. Kyungsoo had asked to come inside when they were walking back, but Jongin had quickly come up with an excuse that they’re busy on Saturdays. He just doesn’t want Kyungsoo to meet his mama. Jongin isn’t sure how she’ll react to knowing that Jongin’s lied,  _and_ he’s been hanging out with a pig. She might have a heart attack.

“Um,” he slides his hands from Kyungsoo, “see you on Monday?” Jongin takes a step back.

“Mm, yeah, see you,” Kyungsoo looks like he wants to say something else, but he bites his lip instead and waves.

The bear hybrid waves back before turning around and heading towards the glass door of the bakery, but before his hand can even near the handle, something tugs him back around. Jongin stumbles back and into the shorter boy, who leans up on his tiptoes and presses a kiss to the corner of Jongin’s lips.

And his heart stops in that moment.

Kyungsoo lips slide clumsily to position perfectly centered, and Jongin can feel their noses pressed together and Kyungsoo’s eyelashes against his cheek. His lips are so warm and soft despite the low temperature, and the younger boy can feel himself ascending into heaven from the feeling. His nose is clogged with the scent of warm honey, and Jongin lets out a sigh when Kyungsoo pulls away, chocolate brown eyes fluttering open. They stare at one another, both too surprised and bashful to say anything.

“I like you, hyung,” Jongin suddenly blurts out stupidly, “a-a lot.” His cheeks instantly flame up, and Jongin feels like dying. Even though Kyungsoo kissed him, he  _still_  somehow doubts his developing crush is returned.

“I like you too,” Kyungsoo replies just as quickly and bashfully. “U-Um, should we…”

“I-If you want to,” Jongin nervously wrings his hands, looking down at his feet. He risks glancing up to see Kyungsoo seeming just as shy, ducking his face into the puffy collar of his parka. “Um, be my b-boyfriend, hyung?”

“Yeah, let’s,” the pig hybrid swallows, “let’s do that.”

They stand there awkwardly for a moment with pink cheeks, anxious but happy smiles, and hesitant eyes. Jongin clears his throat and murmurs, “Monday, then?”

“Uh, yeah, Monday,” Kyungsoo nods, taking a step back from the warmth that’s Jongin’s presence. He doesn’t leave before pressing another kiss to the younger’s cheek this time. “Bye, Jongin.” He turns and walks away with a loving smile.

Jongin collapses once the pig hybrid is out of sight, a hand gripping the fabric of his sweater that rests over his furiously beating heart. His cheeks are on fire, but he can’t stop smiling. Kyungsoo  _likes_ him. Kyungsoo  _kissed_ him. He feels like he’s in heaven. Jongin could perish right now, and he’d have no regrets. He’s oh-so happy and wants to scream.

The bear hybrid holds his cheeks blissfully as he walks inside the bakery. His mama is curious about his blushing appearance, but she doesn’t comment or pry and ushers him to get his apron on and start baking.

 

The news goes over well with their friends. Baekhyun gets incredibly happy and giddy, and he can’t stop himself from teasing Kyungsoo the entire span of the school day, especially when Kyungsoo blushes once Jongin holds his hand under the cafeteria table. Kris, Luhan, Chanyeol, and Jongdae are all really supportive too, asking questions while Chanyeol belts out, “ _I KNEW IT_.”

Kyungsoo grumbles when they walk home throughout the week, but Jongin knows the pig hybrid is just embarrassed with all the teasing. He has a very fragile pride, Jongin learns very quickly. He thinks it’s a charm of the older boy, seeing Kyungsoo all puffy and blushy is very adorable.

“Hyung, you’re really cute, right now.”

“Sh-Shut up…”

It’s not like the school acknowledges their relationship. They hold hands around the hallways, but homosexual couples are accepted, so they only get a few glances every now and then. Jongin somewhat likes it, being seen close to Kyungsoo. He’s Kyungsoo’s, and Kyungsoo is his. That gives him a certain kind of glee, and Jongin isn’t sure if he ever stopped smiling in their first week as a new couple.

That weekend, Kyungsoo drags Jongin out to meet his father—as in going to his father’s tattoo shop. He’s absolutely nervous at first. Not because Kyungsoo’s dad is a tattoo artist but because he doesn’t want to make a bad first impression, especially when he knows Jongin and Kyungsoo are dating now.

It goes rather well though. Kyungsoo’s father is what you would typically expect a pig hybrid to look like: big, muscular, and super intimidating. He only looks like Kyungsoo a little bit, with the same wide eyes, and Kyungsoo later admits that he gets everything from his mom (including his small physique, much to his chagrin). But Kyungsoo’s dad is polite and nice; he has laugh lines from smiling and laughing a lot, and Jongin can tell he likes his job with how he interacts with the customers and that he loves Kyungsoo with all of his heart, doting on him the entire visit. He even buys them pizza and lets them eat it in the back lounge room. All in all, it’s a wonderful afternoon.

Until Kyungsoo is walking Jongin to the bakery.

“Can I meet your mom today, Jongin? Just pop in for a bit?” Kyungsoo asks with a smile, giddy with all the pizza in his stomach.

“Um...I don’t know…” Jongin is panicking. He still hasn’t told his mama about Kyungsoo even as his friend. What will she say when he tells her that he’s been sneaking out this entire time to spend time with Kyungsoo instead of studying? Not to mention, her words about pig hybrids still ring in his mind. Does she still hold that same prejudice?

“Oh, is she busy?” the older boy frowns.

“N-No, it’s, um, it’s just…” Jongin stops on the sidewalk and so does Kyungsoo, looking at him with questions in his eyes. He’s so hesitant to say anything because he doesn’t want Kyungsoo to get angry at him or think the wrong thing.

“What is it, Jongin? Is something wrong?” Kyungsoo asks, grabbing Jongin’s jacket sleeve with his reddened fingers from the chill.

The bear hybrid sighs, caramel ears lowering in shame. “Hyung, I’m sorry. I-I’ve been lying to you and my mama. I haven’t even told her about us being friends, and n-now boyfriends. Every time I lied to her and said I was going to study alone at the library. B-But it’s not what it sounds like I was just—”

“You’re ashamed of me?” the look on Kyungsoo’s visage is full of disbelief in hurt, an expression never seen by Jongin. It’s a stab at his heart, and he feels Kyungsoo let go of his sleeve just before the hurt turns into burning anger. “Why didn’t you just tell me in the beginning then? I-If you didn’t want to be in a relationship then why?!”

“That’s not it! It’s not you, Kyungsoo-hyung, it’s because of—”

“Because of what?” Kyungsoo’s tone is pure steel, and it makes Jongin nervous and scared to the point where he stutters and stumbles over his words.

“No, it’s okay, I get it,” Kyungsoo growls, stepping back when Jongin can’t form a sentence or valid explanation. “No wonder you were hesitant to come today. You just didn’t want to be around me, because I’m a tiny little pig. I get, Jongin. Completely.” With a last heartbroken, betrayed look, Kyungsoo turns around and walks off.

“Hyung, please!” Jongin calls desperately, but the pig hybrid keeps walking until he disappears around the street corner. It reminds him of when he first saw Kyungsoo, only with the absence of a skateboard, the warm sun, and happy feeling in his heart.

Jongin goes home crying to his mama. She doesn’t understand, but she makes him chicken smothered in honey for dinner to make him feel better.

 

He doesn’t know what to do. Monday rolls around, and Jongin avoids all contact with Kyungsoo at school. He eats in the cafeteria with Baekhyun and the others since Kyungsoo studies in the library during lunch on Mondays. Baekhyun asks him why he isn’t with Kyungsoo, and Jongin just shrugs and munches on his chips silently.

The truth is Jongin knows Kyungsoo was partially right. One reason he didn’t tell his mother was because Kyungsoo was a pig, but it wasn’t because Jongin was ashamed of that. He likes Kyungsoo, no matter what. He was only trying to protect Kyungsoo from her prejudice, yet it only backlashed in a terrible way. Jongin hurt Kyungsoo badly.

The best thing to do is to explain everything to Kyungsoo and bring him to meet his mother, but Jongin doesn’t know how to accomplish that when he’s scared to even go near Kyungsoo because he knows he hates him now.

Friday, Jongin once again eats in the cafeteria with the others. He convinces himself that he’s just trying to gather the courage to talk to Kyungsoo, who he’s managed to avoid all week by a miracle. Jongin knows the longer he stays away the worse it seems, but he’s just nervous whenever he thinks of talking to Kyungsoo. What if he breaks up with him? What if he tells him he never wants to see him again?

Well, it seems he doesn’t even have to worry about finding Kyungsoo himself, as the older boy plops into a seat next to Kris in the middle of lunch. Jongin looks up with wide eyes, mouth full of the sandwich his mama packed for him. Kyungsoo doesn’t look his way at all, busying himself with his own food.

Chanyeol looks back and forth between them, surprised that neither of the boyfriends has exchanged any sort of greeting. He then looks at Baekhyun, who’s been sighing constantly the entire lunch break, eying another table across the cafeteria with a sad look in his eyes.

“Why is everyone so gloomy?” the ferret hybrid mumbles, receiving shrugs from Luhan and Kris. He nudges Baekhyun, who groans and splays his arms and upper half across the table in agony.

“Taeyeon-noona is so pretty,” Baekhyun whines, continuing to stare at the beautiful sheep hybrid. “Her hair looks so soft and her skin is so smooth. She’s too perfect for this world—an angel! But she’s dating Zitao,” he wrinkles his nose in distaste, “that rich, tall, and handsome leopard guy. Why would she want me anyways? She only laughs at my jokes in class.”

“Aw, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol pats his shoulder sympathetically, “you never know. She might really like you.”

“Even if she did, she would never date me. I’m a small and cowardly raccoon, and I’m not rich at all. Noona dates all of those rich and big hybrids, like the bears and tigers. What would she want with small trashy hybrids like us?” Baekhyun thumps his head against the table once.

Jongin nearly jumps at the sudden sound of Kyungsoo standing up from his chair, the legs scraping against the floor. The pig hybrid’s wide eyes are focused directly on him, and Kyungsoo narrows his eyes before grabbing his bag and walking away. He’d been waiting on Jongin to say something, but the bear hybrid was hardly even thinking about what Baekhyun was saying or how it related. He should’ve said something—he needs to say something.

Abandoning his things, Jongin gets up and runs out of the cafeteria, ignoring the questioning gazes and yells from his friends. Stumbling into the hall from the clumsiness of his long legs, he spots Kyungsoo walking down the hallway with his head down.

“Hyung!” he calls. “Wait!”

To his surprise, Kyungsoo does stop and wait for Jongin to catch up. Jongin nearly falls to a stop, bracing his hands on his knees as he pants from his poor stamina. “I’m…sorry,” he breathes, straightening up. “Please, listen to me. I’m not ashamed of you. I never have been. I like you for everything you are. It makes no difference to me what kind of hybrid you are or if you’re bigger than me or smaller than me. What matters is that you saved me that day, and I’m so grateful that I was able to meet you.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo slowly says with no emotion in his expression whatsoever. “That still doesn’t tell me why you lied to me and your mother.”

Jongin swallows. “My mama…she told me a while back that she doesn’t like pig hybrids and thinks they’re scary and mean. And because I didn’t know if she still held that prejudice, I didn’t want to tell her in case that she wouldn’t let me hang out with you or was mean to you. I felt so bad the other day that I was scared to say anything. I’m sorry, Kyungsoo-hyung. I should have told you.” His hands knead the hem of his sweater, eyes darting down. Jongin’s scared to know what Kyungsoo’s reaction will be.

For a moment, it’s quiet between them, and Jongin squeezes his eyes shut in the fear that he’ll look up and Kyungsoo will be gone. But instead, he feels another body collide with his own, and Jongin stumbles back a few steps as arms cling to his torso. His eyes open, and his nose meets tufts of Kyungsoo’s crimson hair as the older boy hugs him tightly and buries his face in the crook of Jongin’s neck, balancing on the tips of his toes. Instantly, Jongin embraces him and nearly cries at the touch of forgiveness. “I’m sorry,” he says again.

“Thank god,” Kyungsoo murmurs, shoes squeaking as he struggles to stay on his toes. “I almost hated you.”

“I thought you did hate me,” Jongin tries to pull away, only for Kyungsoo to cling to him. He tries again, but Kyungsoo digs his fingers into his shoulder blades. Clearing his throat, he stops. “Um, Kyungsoo-hyung, I missed you too, but can you let go now?”

There’s a hiccup. “N-No, I’m crying. Give me a sec. I look ugly.”

“Hyung,” Jongin coos fondly, forcibly parting from him, much to Kyungsoo’s discretion. Both of his hands move to wipe at his eyes and cheeks, and he grumbles when the bear hybrid moves to help him with a teasing smile. It seems inevitable that he’ll always want to scream about how Kyungsoo can be so cute, even when he’s crying. “You forgive me, right?”

“Of course,” Kyungsoo grumbles, swatting his hands away as he sniffles. “A part of me doubted you were that judgmental anyways.”

“I’ll tell my mama today, okay? And then you can come to the bakery tomorrow,” Jongin reaches and holds Kyungsoo’s hands in his own, warming them up by coincidence.

“I hope she isn’t as prejudiced as she seems,” Kyungsoo sighs, brows furrowed in worry.

“I’ll make her love you. In fact, I’m sure she’ll love you the moment she meets you.”

 

Jongin was expecting many things when he told his mama about Kyungsoo for the first time. Anger for lying to her, which was present in how she instantly yanked his ear. Maybe disgust because Kyungsoo was a pig, or sadness that her baby cub was growing up into an independent man. She could even yell at him and tell him he could never see Kyungsoo again.

But he definitely didn’t think she would start laughing.

“Mama?” Jongin blinked, confused.

“Oh, honey,” she holds a hand to her cherry-painted lips as she laughs, “I told you that ages ago! You know that I’m friends with Mrs. Jung down the street? And even if I still was biased, I would never be mean to your friends.”

“Oh,” Jongin suddenly felt a bit dumb. He held his heart in relief, however, thankful that nothing was wrong. He even knew about Mrs. Jung, a pig hybrid who owned a flower shop and was good friends with his mama. “I’m sorry, mama. It’s just...I wanted to be safe.”

“Aw, it’s no matter now,” his mother waves a hand in dismissal. She then goes back to frosting a dozen red velvet cupcakes. When Jongin remains standing there, still cutting out the cute fondant Christmas tree decorations, she rolls her eyes and slaps him on the arm. “What are you doing? I want to meet him! Go bring him here now!”

And that’s how Jongin ends up running through the dark freezing streets at 10 PM with a joyful smile on his face.


End file.
